Cynthia Campbell

Cynthia Campbell, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Her work focuses on substance use research within health systems, particularly examining prescription opioids and health services and policy. She maintains an active research program with numerous current and past NIH-funded projects spanning substance use disorders, health policy impacts, and treatment innovations.

Dr. Campbell's primary research interests include substance use disorders, health systems research, prescription opioid policy, and health services for addiction treatment. Her work examines how healthcare policy changes impact substance use treatment access and outcomes, with particular attention to vulnerable populations including adolescents, pregnant individuals, and those with co-occurring mental health conditions. She frequently employs large-scale health system data to investigate patterns of substance use and treatment effectiveness across diverse populations and healthcare settings.

Her recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on cannabis policy impacts, opioid use disorder treatment innovations, and substance use during pregnancy. These works employ diverse methodologies including longitudinal observational studies, qualitative analyses, and examination of health system data across Northern California. Her research bridges clinical practice, health policy, and population health with particular emphasis on how healthcare delivery systems can better serve patients with substance use disorders.

Dr. Campbell has served as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on numerous NIH-funded research projects including the Health Systems Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network (2015-2025), Buprenorphine and Substance Abuse Services for Prescription Opioid Dependence (2014-2019), and studies examining the impact of healthcare reform on addiction and HIV services. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained research productivity in substance use disorders and health services research across multiple funding cycles.